Featured Image Credit: Nick Eades / Reddit
Topics: Travel, World News
Ella Scott
An experienced pilot has unveiled why the ‘brace position’ is included in on-flight safety demonstrations and how it could potentially save your life.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, more than 25 million adults in the US suffer from Aerophobia, more commonly known as the fear of flying.
This excessive worry could be caused by a traveler’s fear of enclosed spaces, a dislike of heights or even the idea of plummeting to their doom.
But if you’ve ever tuned into the safety demonstration before take-off then you’ll already know that members of the cabin crew have your best interest at heart.
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The trained team provide crucial information on what to do in an emergency as well as how to position yourself upon impact - so it’s always worth watching.
Nick Eades, the world’s longest-serving Boeing 747 Captain turned author - as per his official LinkedIn profile - has revealed why it’s so important that flyers familiarize themselves with the brace position before jetting off.
After completing an Economics degree at the University of Essex in the UK, the aviation expert went on to score a job with British Airways in September 1987.
Loyal to the last, Eades reportedly never worked for another airline, instead choosing to hang up his captain’s hat after almost 35 years of service in March 2022.
Since then, the self-funded pilot has ventured into the world of publishing and has released two books: The Self Improver and its sequel, Still Improving.
Delving into his years of knowledge, Eades recently discussed on-board safety and why airline stewards often advise you to get into the brace position if things start going pear-shaped.
Flyers are routinely told about the position in the mandatory pre-flight safety demonstration and the brace is usually depicted in grab-and-go leaflets. But does the position actually do any good? And can it save you from harm?
Speaking to LADbible, the former pilot said that the brace has historically been employed so that people ‘stop breaking their necks in a big impact’.
“You're just trying to get the body into a position that's going to suffer the least damage. It's like whiplash - you're trying to avoid that sudden movement of the head, which can result in serious injury, if not death.”
Interestingly, though, hearing the phrase ‘brace, brace’ may soon become a thing of the past.
Eades claims cabin crew members are no longer being trained to tell passengers to get into the position due to potential language barriers.
“I've had a couple where we had problems with the landing gear, and the cabin crew shouted to all the passengers 'brace, brace!'," he said. "Now, if you think about it, I would say at least half - probably three-quarters - of passengers on the aeroplane don't speak English as a first language.
"It took a long time for the aviation world to realise if you're suddenly thrown into an emergency situation and people start shouting 'brace' at you, you might think, 'what the hell do they mean?'”
So instead, when you board a commercial flight in the future and hone in on the safety demonstration, you might hear a different phrase instead.
“They'll replace it with 'heads down, hands over your head’,” the specialist added. "At least that gives somebody in probably the most stressful position they'll ever be in in their lives something to do.”
I mean, he’s not wrong, is he?